The motor racing caller is getting behind the wheel of an unusual billy cart.

Star and car: Greg Rust, V8 Supercar commentator

The motor racing caller is getting behind the wheel of an unusual billy cart.

Star and car: Greg Rust, V8 Supercar commentator

13 Nov 2015Owen Thomson

Were you into billy carts as a kid?

I am no guru with billy carts, but yes, I did build one at home in the garage with dad when I was younger. It kind of had a dragster look about it. It had the pram wheels from my younger sister on the front and we put some bigger wheels on the back. Dad was the managing director of a hydraulic company when I was younger and was quite handy, so it was cool fun building it with him.

Any special design features?

I had a deep love back then of The Dukes of Hazard, so I seem to recall that we painted it orange as well (laughs). It was a rope steer and you put your feet on a footrest and away you went. I don't think it had a brake on it either. It was just put your feet down and use your sneakers to pull her up.

Where did you drive it?

We grew up in a cul-de-sac and the street had a bit of an incline, so you could go up to the top and give it a decent run. The suburb at the time was growing and changing and there were new streets popping up, so there were always places you could go that were relatively safe because there wasn't a lot of traffic. It was great fun. But I only had it for a few years. It was gone before high school.

Any classic stacks?

I had lots of stacks as a kid, both on bicycles and on the billy cart and skateboards. Lost a bit of bark when I was younger, which was all part of the deal. It was old-school fun. Everything's simulated now, isn't it? You can sit in the safety of your living room and play the latest and greatest on Xbox or PlayStation or whatever, and you won't hurt yourself.

What was the helmet policy back then?

That's the thing: I would never dream of doing this now without a helmet. I've got young kids now and my wife and I would never send them out on their bikes or whatever without helmets. But back then, you just didn't do that stuff.

What will you be driving in the up-coming Red Bull Billy Cart event?

For this exercise I'm backed by McDonalds and the cart is purpose-built to look like a box of fries on its side. I kind of sit in the fries. It's a bit zany, but it's good to do something different.

VITAL STATISTICS

9 – the age I got my billy cart

1 – the number of billy carts I ever owned

The lowdown: the respected motorsports commentator and former billy cart aficionado is no stranger to putting his faith in gravity rather than horsepower.

Career highlights: hosting Channel 10's coverage of MotoGP and Formula One; his widely acclaimed pit lane reporting work at events including the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, the Gold Coast Indy Carnival and V8 Supercar Championship rounds.

Next project: competing in the Red Bull Billy Cart event in Sydney's Centennial Park this Sunday.